1979 Donruss Rock Stars is the trading card equivalent of a modern music festival. Combining four major acts at the time onto one checklist, it’s a eclectic, a little goofy and pretty darn glamorous all at the same time. It might also be one of the more overlooked sets of mainstream music trading cards.
1979 Donruss Rock Stars Checklist Details
KISS, Queen, Village People and The Babys are all a part of the 66-card checklist. Having Gene Simmons, Freddie Mercury, the Village People’s working class garb together is quite the feat. Donruss and KISS had already partnered on a two-series release the year before, but for the other three bands this marked their largest presence in a set of cards to date. That actually still stands today.
Boasting black borders, there’s a sense of standing in the audience of a darkened arena, lighter at the ready for the next ballad, staring up at the stage. These give way to a mix of concert shots and promotional stills of both the bands and their individual members. While it’s certainly a fashion time capsule, there’s something to be said about some of the photo choices as well.
Most of the backs are puzzle pieces, however there are some that offer biographical information and backgrounds.
1979 Donruss Rock Stars isn’t an overly tough set to find today, especially when you consider its age. However, building a set in top condition is likely to be a bigger challenge. For starters, the black borders show even the slightest dings. Centering is also atrocious on a large amount of cards.
Although prices have risen, they’re still far behind the 1978 Donruss KISS set. The extended presence of Queen alone is big. The Village People’s “YMCA” is also an arena epic and beloved high school dance staple for multiple generations.
1979 Donruss Rock Stars Checklist
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Set size: 66 cards.
Cards per pack: 7
Packs per box: 36
Shop for 1979 Donruss Rock Stars boxes on eBay.
Base Set Checklist
66 cards.
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1 Queen – Brian May
2 Queen – Roger Taylor
3 Kiss – Gene Simmons
4 The Babys – John Waite
5 Village People – Victor Willis
6 The Babys – Tony Brock
7 Village People – Victor Willis
8 Village People – Glenn Hughes
9 The Babys – Ricky Phillips
10 Village People – Felipe Rose
11 Kiss – Paul Stanley
12 The Babys – Wally Stocker
13 Village People – Randy Jones
14 Village People – Randy Jones
15 Village People – Alex Briley
16 Queen – John Deacon
17 Queen
18 Queen – Roger
19 Queen – Freddie Mercury
20 Village People – David Hodo
21 Kiss – Ace Frehley
22 The Babys – Jonathan Cain
23 Village People
24 Village People
25 Queen – Freddie
26 Queen – Roger
27 The Babys – Ricky Phillips
28 Village People – Felipe Rose
29 Kiss – Ace Frehley
30 Kiss – Peter Criss
31 Queen
32 Kiss – Paul Stanley
33 Village People
34 Kiss – Gene Simmons
35 Queen – Brian May
36 Village People
37 Village People
38 The Babys
39 Kiss
40 Queen – Roger Taylor
41 Queen
42 Kiss – Peter Criss
43 Village People – Glenn Hughes
44 Village People – Randy Jones
45 Queen – Freddie Mercury
46 Village People – Alex Briley
47 Queen – John Deacon
48 The Babys – Tony Brock
49 Queen – Freddie Mercury
50 Kiss – Gene Simmons
51 Queen
52 Queen – John Deacon
53 Village People – Felipe Rose
54 Queen – Brian May
55 The Babys – Jonathan Cain
56 Village People – David Hodo
57 The Babys – Ricky Phillips
58 Queen – Brian May
59 Kiss – Paul Stanley
60 Village People – Glenn Hughes
61 The Babys – John Waite
62 Queen
63 The Babys – John Waite
64 Kiss – Ace Frehley
65 Kiss
66 Kiss – Peter Criss
